The Significance of Legal Aid in India

The Significance of Legal Aid in India

Author Name : Shivam Singh

INTRODUCTION

Legal aid is a welfare provision by the state to people who could not afford access to the legal system. Equal access to justice is sine qua non for an efficient function of ademocracy. The provision of legal aid by the Statewas influenced its duty towards welfare of the people. It is the duty of the State to see that the legal system promotes justice based on equal opportunity for all its citizens. It must therefore arrange to provide free legal aid to those who cannot access justice due to economic and other disabilities.Equality is the basis of all modern systems of jurisprudence and administration of justice. In so far as, a person is unable to obtain access to a court of law for having his wrongs redressed or for defending himself against a criminal charge, justice becomes unequal and laws, which are meant for his protection, have no meaning and to that extent fail in their purpose. Unless some provision is made for assisting the poor man for the payment of court fees and lawyer’s fees and other incidental costs of litigation, he is denied equality in the opportunity to seek justice.